Growing Fond of You, Mr Nian

Hangzhou.

At seven o’clock in the evening, Yan Su got a call from Ye Yunchang after dinner.

“Susu, have you eaten yet?” Ye Yunchang asked breezily as if everything was between them was hunky-dory.

“I just ate. Is anything wrong, Brother Ye?” Yan Su asked innocently.

“I just wanted to apologize.” He sounded very sincere over the phone. “After that interview in Beijing last time, I didn’t expect the reporters to take my words out of context like that. I have no ill intentions or any hard feelings against you. Susu, I know you well. The media is just getting a little bored, and they’re using you to increase their viewership.”

Yan Su laughed warily, but she didn’t say anything.

Ye Yunchang continued, “There are a lot of international stars in the production crew who stepped up to testify for you. I didn’t expect your connections to be so wide. There are a lot of netizens online, leaving me to hate messages. Susu, would you do me a favor and clarify things online for me? I know it’s a lot to ask, but I’m left with no choice. Look, we did work together once. We still have to see each other when we promote the film together…”

“Brother Ye…” Yan Su interrupted. “I’m still calling you brother out of politeness. You’re saying that you’re a victim in this whole episode as well and that someone was using you. But I distinctly remember that you didn’t come out to clarify anything the first day when the photos were released. You were silent when the netizens were hating me. On the second day, when you did that interview, you left me in a lurch. Even when I was nearly kicked out of the entertainment industry, you refused to vouch for me. You’re only apologizing to me now after people came out to support me. I have to be honest; you’re coming across as a hypocrite.”

“I was overseas. I wasn’t following the news…”

“Enough,” Yan Su said abruptly. “I knew you were upset with me in Beijing. You were unfriendly and rude; we both know that. There’s no need to put on an act.”

Ye Yunchang was angry now. “Yan Su, don’t think you’re all that big just because you went to Venice and participated in Asia’s Top Singer. Are you disregarding to me now? Back when you first started, you called me Brother Ye and were so respectful to me. Fine. If you want to make things ugly, I can tell you that I’m not going to credit your authorship for that song ‘Fearless’ that we collaborated on.”

Yan Su tightened her grip on her phone. “What do you mean?”

Ye Yunchang snickered. “I wrote the lyrics for ‘Fearless,’ and I arranged the music score. You have no rights over the single other than the fact that you sang along with me. From now on, you only have the performance rights to this song. You won’t be getting a cent from the earnings.”

“Fat chance!” Yan Su, who was well-tempered by nature, was furious now. “Shameless! That’s right! You wrote the lyrics and the score, but I made sixty percent of the changes later on!”

“How come I don’t know about that?” Ye Yunchang sneered. “Do you have any proof of your claims?”

Yan Su was quiet a moment. She had made the changes in his hardcopy manuscript then, but she didn’t keep a copy of that manuscript. “We signed a contract. If you’re going to do this, I’ll have no choice but to press charges.”

“Bring it on.”

After she hung up, Yan Su called Xiang Wan. “Ye Yunchang is despicably shameless, but I understand. You’re so popular now, and when the movie screens, the theme track will be hitting the charts, no doubt. If he claims the masters to the track, he will be reaping all the earnings, too. At his age and without any reputation left, he’s trying to secure the money part of the show business.”